Folding foot-rest for automobile-tonneaus.



PATENTED DEC. 19. 1905.

R. A. LESLIE. FOLDING FOOT BEST FOR AUTOMOBILE TONNEAUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15,1905

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH A. LESLIE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WINTON MOTOR CARRIAGE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

FOLDING FOOT-REST FOR AUTOMOBILE-TONNEAUS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed July 15, 1905. Serial No. 269.836.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, RALPH A. LESLIE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Foot-Rests for Automobile- Tonneaus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in folding foot-rests for automobile-tonneaus, the object of which is to provide a foot-rest for the tonneau passengers which is capable of being folded up at the back of the front seat and entirely out of the way when not in use.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tonneau touring-car with the improved foot-rest applied thereto, the foot-rest being shown open in full lines and closed in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a detached perspective view of the foot-rest.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 is the front seat, and 2 the base thereof, while the tonneau-seat is indicated by 3. In carrying out this invention a hinge-bracket 4 is suitably secured to the floor or bottom of the car at the rear lower corners of the front-seat base 2, and similar hinge-brackets 5 are secured to the inner or lower side of a board 6, which will form the foot-rest for the tonneau passengers. The hinge-brackets 5 are located at opposite sides of the board or foot-rest 6 and adjacent its upper edge, as shown. Connecting the hinge-brackets 4 and 5 are the links 7, the opposite ends of which are suitably hinged to the said brackets. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be observed that the opposite ends of the links and the hinge-brackets lt'and 5 are provided, respectively, with the abutting lugs 8 and 9. The lugs 8 of the brackets 5 and the adjacent ends of the links 7 extend upward or forward, while the lugs 9 on the lower brackets A and the adjacent ends of the links extend downward. By the above arrangement when the foot-rest is in use, as shown in Fig. 1, it is supported in an inclined position for the feet of the tonneau passengers, while it will permit the foot-rest to be folded upward at the rear of the front-seat base 2 when not in use, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1.

Preferably the foot-rest 6 is the back of the base 2 of the front seat, though it may be a separate board. In either case, however, when .the exposed back portion of the front-seat base 2. Preferably the foot-rest or board 6 will be covered with rubber or fabric to form a comfortable foothold.

A foot-rest of the character herein described adapted to be supported in a rearwardly-inclined position between the front seat and the tonneau will be found of extreme usefulness and to add greatly to the comfort of the tonneau passengers when making tours. It will enable them to assume a comfortable position and also enable them to prevent to a very large extent being pitched and tossed around by the motions of the car on the road. When not in use, it folds upward entirely out of the way.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a vehicle having a front and a rear seat, of a folding foot-rest located between the seats and adapted to be supported in a rearwardly-inclined position in front of the rear seat to form a foot-rest for the passengers of the rear seat.

2. The combination with a vehicle having a front and a rear seat, of a folding foot-rest located between the two seats consisting of a swinging board, a link connection between the board and the floor of the vehicle, the link connection constructed to support the board in a rearwardly-inclined position and adapted to permit it to be folded in a substantially vertical position when not in use.

3. The combination with a vehicle having a front and a rear seat, of a foot-rest consisting of a board, a link having one end hinged to the bottom of the floor at about the rear portion of the front-seat base and having its opposite end hinged to the board between its ends, the board adapted to swing upward into a closed position at the rear of the front seat and adapted to swing backward and rearward into a' rearwardly-inclined position, and means for supporting the board in its inclined position. 4. The combination with a vehicle having a front and a rear seat, of a folding foot-rest located between the two seats consistingiof a board, hinge-brackets connected to the vehicle at about the lower rear corners of the frontseat base, hinge brackets connected to the board between its ends links having their forward ends pivotally connected to the first-mentioned brackets and their upper and rear ends adapting it to be swung rearwardly in an in- .clined position and forwardly to form the back of the said front-seat base, and means for supporting the said back in its rearwardly-inclined position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RALPH A. LESLIE.

l/Vitnesses: V HAROLD B. ANDERSON,

H. L. ORR. 

